This contribution examines the scope and limitations of three strategies for engineering meso- to macro-porous polymers with controlled porosity and functionality.  The first approach relies on the synthesis of polystyrene-block-poly(D,L-lactide) diblock copolymers with functional groups at the junction between both blocks (e.g. COOH, SO3H), followed by their macroscopic orientation, and the subsequent selective hydrolysis of the polyester block.  The second strategy entails the preparation of oligoester-derivatized (semi-)IPNs, constituted of a functional vinylic stable sub-network and an etchable polyester partner.  The extraction of uncrosslinked oligoesters from semi-IPNs as well as the quantitative hydrolysis of the polyester sub-network in IPNs provide straightforward approaches toward porous networks with high pore connectivity.  Finally, three-dimensional porous scaffolds based on poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)s have been engineered by electrospinning to generate nanofibrous biomaterials that mimic the extracellular matrix.  The potentialities afforded by these approaches will be addressed, and some typical applications of the resulting porous materials will be illustrated.

From well-defined macromolecular architectures to functional porous materials with various porosity scales

245th National Meeting (2013)

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